This Novel, Handmade Bike Is 17 Pounds Of Sexy

Challenging the tradition of the bike frame by getting rid of a big chunk of it.

Bikes haven’t been just about mobility for a long time. At a glance, you can tell whether a bike’s owner is an adult or a child, outdoorsy or urban, hippie or hipster. That’s why Rizoma, an Italian motorcycle accessory company, has designed a bicycle to be a fashion statement.

"We were looking for a cycle not for sport, but something different, like a dress!" explains CEO Fabrizio Rigolio. The result was the 77|011 Metropolitan, an aluminum and carbon fiber bike that weighs a mere 17 pounds, yet has its own performance completely overshadowed by unique design. The difference—that your eyes have probably noticed without your brain processing—is the bike’s lack of an extended seat tube. Without that long, straight bar in the way, the frame ever so slightly bubbles outward, featuring curves you simply don’t see in this medium.

Rizoma says that the frame is "geometrically perfect," distributing the rider’s weight to negate the need for the seat tube. Even in a mostly transparent bike frame, it creates an airy effect well-complemented by the minimal belt-drive propulsion system. That belt is good for 9,000 miles of biking, and with a pull of a lever and the flip of a tire, switches from fixed gear to single speed.

Notably, Rizoma both designed and is manufacturing every component of the 77|011, assembling it onsite at their headquarters in Italy. Then again, you don’t reimagine the status quo by outsourcing. If you’d like one of your own, the 77|011 is available now for $4,800.

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Bicycles are about as difficult to design as chairs but there are those who can do it well.They have very clear performance criteria that has shaped the way the standard design has evolved and It's all been done before. The designer has to decide whether they want to have a functional design or fashionable design. This one is definitely fashion, so in that sense they have met their brief. Unfortunately the product of their vision isn't innovative, every concept or limited edition bike these days has a carbon drive system so this is not new nor even a product of their creation and the removal of the seat tube has been done many times before and really doesn't achieve anything except maybe to make it easier for the riders fashionable bell bottoms or summer dress to get caught in the wheel.

I'm happy that these designers got it that 'form follows function'. So for a bicycle to use in the city (with potholes, bumps, etc.), it's only obvious you would remove all the suspension found in a regular city bicycle. I.e. a modern steel tubing and wide tires. This way the rider has a better 'experience' of the city (i.e. he or she feels every uneven inch of road).

Also it's very obvious it's a fashion bicycle and not a sports bicycle. I mean: what have narrow tires, 37mm brakes, a sporty mirror-design, a -very- sporty position (notice the saddle is a bit higher than the handlebar) and a large gear ratio (big chainring vs. small cog) got to do with sports? It would be crazy to think those are better suitable on sporty bicycles, right?

Also it occurs to me that 'fashion' is only important during daylight. Therefor eliminating the need for a headlight, rear light and reflectors. Who needs accessories anyway? (Oh, wait, Rizoma -IS- an accessory company...)

Then there seem to be a few different variants: without brake, front brake only (37mm, that is...) and a version with both brakes (both 37mm...). The latter one has the rear brake on the dirtiest spot of the whole bicycle (behind the bottom bracket), which is of course very functional. Because if someone wants to brake then, first of all the rim gets cleaned by the brake, and only after the rim is about clean the brake will start to function. It would be silly to assume any need for a well-working brake, right?

Lastly I think the manufacturer will have a hard time finding someone measuring 165cm tall with an inside leg length of at least 91cm...

I have some feeling that something isn't quite right here, but I can't put my finger on it...

the traditional frame design is the most efficient for a bicycle, removing sections of it require the remaining parts to be reinforced to such a degree that to maintain the original stiffness and strength that any expected weight savings would be nulified. frustrating that such a perfect design is not celebrated by designers, instead constantly "improved" like this